How could anyone suggest that Lupita turned in anything less than a stellar performance for 'Star Wars'?

Lupita Nyong’o looked like a gloriously natural vintage fashionista on the latest cover of Elle UK, where she talks about her futuristic new role.

The Oscar-winning actress graces the January 2016 cover of Elle UK, and she slayed so hard that editors couldn’t decide which shot to use for the cover. So they used both! The magazine put one cover out for the general public, but their subscribers will be seeing this show up in their mailboxes soon.

In the issue, Lupita talks about her role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens; she plays a pirate named Maz Kanata. While we have our feelings about her character design, for Lupita, it was an exhilarating challenge to play a part that was so otherworldly.

“The opportunity to play a CGI character for me was the opportunity to not be limited by my physical circumstances,” she told Elle UK. “I could experience being bigger or smaller, something totally different to who I am. And of course it’s in a galaxy far, far away.”

There has been some controversy surrounding Lupita’s part recently, as rumors circulated that director J.J. Abrams significantly cut her part down because of her performance. Clearly, some gossips (aka The Sun) don’t want Lupita to be great, but they’re just going to have to stay mad. According to J.J. himself, the rumors are simply not true.

As he told Page Six, he’s shocked by the kinds of rumors flying around about the movie, but that one really takes the cake. “Some are wonderfully funny, others simply preposterous,” he shared. “The only one more ridiculous than Jar Jar Binks being a Sith Lord is that I cut Lupita Nyong’o’s performance because it wasn’t satisfactory.”

From there, J.J. couldn’t stop gushing about Lupita‘s work:

“In truth, her performance wasn’t satisfactory. It was spectacular,” he stated. “She has brought the character of Maz Kanata to life in the most wonderful, wise, touching, deep and funny way. Lupita never ceased to amaze me. Yes, we tried many approaches, and we finally landed on just what the film needed. She elevated all the scenes she is in, I’m forever grateful, and can’t wait for people to see her stunning performance.”

Boom! There you have it. You can verify his words for yourself when Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18. But if you can’t wait that long, you can listen to Lupita doing the voice over in the latest trailer for the film.